This one not so new, just a test shot for the Pentax 300mm F/4 DA*. Nice lens, solid build, sharp. Definitely not the best "lens test" conditions. ISO 640, 1/320th second f/4. Looks good even at 100%, so much for in camera shake reduction not working . Although in fairness it was monopod mounted (i think).

This one is from Death Valley last week. Probably one of the most complex photos I have ever put together. We had no choice as the wind was whipping so I took a look at the map and decided to head for a canyon. The wind was still blowing in here, but much much less, and at times it was perfectly calm.

It's a long exposure (7 minutes), that is lit by both the moonlight, and also filled in with strobes. The original intent of the strobing was to just "separate" the arch from the background, but eventually we added varying degrees of light to the canyon walls to give it a little more texture than the moonlight would have given in such a short exposure. The shadows are actually moonlight though. I did similar shots on both film and digital and am expecting the film shot on Provia 100F (for 15 minutes) to be better since film doesn't have noise issues with long exposures and is still quite superior to digital in this regard.

Nice work guys. Here is one from a Joe McNally workshop I just attended. Every morning we saw a lighting demo and then we split up into teams of three with a model to scout the location and find/make light of our own using small flashes. This one was made with two Nikon SB-800 flashes for rim lighting (along with the sun) and one gold relflector for fill.

Every day we would have a critique of the previous days images. No cropping or photoshopping allowed!

I used high speed sync at 1/1000 so I could get f2.8 for shallow depth of field. This is one of the huge strengths of high speed sync.

How were you triggering the sb-800s? With the built in nikon wireless, radio poppers, or the new PWs? I love HSS, and use it quite a bit.

Paul_Y wrote:

Nice work guys. Here is one from a Joe McNally workshop I just attended. Every morning we saw a lighting demo and then we split up into teams of three with a model to scout the location and find/make light of our own using small flashes. This one was made with two Nikon SB-800 flashes for rim lighting (along with the sun) and one gold relflector for fill.

Every day we would have a critique of the previous days images. No cropping or photoshopping allowed!

I used high speed sync at 1/1000 so I could get f2.8 for shallow depth of field. This is one of the huge strengths of high speed sync.

First of all, nice work Vorago especially for a first timer. You have a good eye for urban angles.

Thanks Wes, I triggered the sb-800's with an infrared commander, the SU-800 which is Nikon's equivalent to the Canon ST-E2. The whole class was built around using whatever system you brought in iTTL mode and using exposure compensation to vary both the camera exposure and the flash output. We never did go to manual camera exposure or flash output. I think now that your radio poppers are the way to go rather than the infrared systems.

Here are a couple of more images made during the class. The first was made in an abandoned almond factory that our teams explored and made pictures in. The 2nd was in a restored Victorian era mansion. It was shot with a flash outside the window with a warming filter, one pointing at the painting and one at the wall at camera right.

The poppers are cool, since you work with the same setup and technique as you do with the su-8000, you just don't have to worry as much about line of site, shooting outdoors, etc. And the new versions seem to fix most of the issues people had with the version 1 units.

I use canon's ettl a bit as well, mostly when the environment is changing rapidly. When I have the time to setup, or things aren't moving a whole lot, I try to get into manual mode, which also works well with the RP's. Since I can control the remote flash's power from the master flash, it is quick and easy to change things around a bit.

I see that PocketWizard is coming out with a version of their own wireless iTTL for Nikons at the end of next month. Hope is gets better reviews than their current Canon version.

Here are some more pix from the Joe McNally/Paso Robles workshop.

The interior wine cave has one flash way back camera left lighting the far barrels. There is another in the gap between the barrels camera right that is lighting the model's hair and the left hand barrels. Finally, there is a grided flash pointed at the model's faces on camera left. It was a real pain to get all the flashes to see the infrared signal from the SU-800. I ended up putting the unit on a light stand connected with an off camera iTTL cable so it could communitcate with all the flashes.

The two exterior shots were lit with variations of the first shot I posted. Two flashes for rim lights and a gold reflector for fill. In addition, the camera was set for "vivid" colors.

I ran into this while cleaning out photos to build the files for my wife's new elec photo frame.

Saw this at Rock Mnt. National Park. Baby Elk trying to cross a river and couldn't get up the further side. It had just given up and returned to our side. Just after photo it tried one more time and went up the futher side at a different point and was reunited with its mom.

The first tiger shot was actually just after we arrived at the enclosure, and before I knew what to expect. So the shutter speed was only 1/250, and there's a little motion blur in it. I still kinda like it, though.